{
  "id": 11773411,
  "title": "P-plater in horror Newcastle Knights car crash previously lost his licence",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/p-plater-in-horror-newcastle-knights-car-crash-previously-lost-his",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T21:21:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
    "slug": "the-sydney-morning-herald",
    "url": "https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/p-plater-in-horror-newcastle-knights-car-crash-previously-lost-his-licence-20261004-p612mb.html?ref=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "An 18-year-old driver, Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, has been charged with multiple driving offences after a car crashed into a crowd of Newcastle Knights fans on the morning of the NRL grand final. The incident occurred at a roundabout on Newcastle Link Road in Newcastle's west, injuring 10 people, including a five-year-old girl who remains in a critical but stable condition.\n\nThe driver, who holds a P1 Provisional licence, has been charged with dangerous driving, negligent driving occasioning bodily harm, and causing bodily harm by misconduct. His licence has been suspended and the vehicle has been seized for forensic examination. Two other teenagers who were in the vehicle with him were unharmed.\n\nAccording to Hunter New England Health, one patient remained in a critical condition in hospital, and three others had been discharged. The incident has left the Newcastle community with a heavy heart on NRL grand final day. The driver is set to face court on Sunday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News AU",
        "title": "Newcastle's joy tempered by heartache on NRL grand final day after car crash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/newcastles-joy-tempered-by-heartache-on-nrl-grand-final-day-after-car",
        "published": "2026-10-03T19:10:18.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
        "title": "Driver to face court over Newcastle crowd crash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/driver-to-face-court-over-newcastle-crowd-crash",
        "published": "2026-10-03T20:30:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Age",
        "title": "Driver to face court over Newcastle crowd crash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/driver-to-face-court-over-newcastle-crowd-crash-11766603",
        "published": "2026-10-03T20:30:27.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}